Climate Equity Fund Questions and Answers

At this time, all planned presentations for the 2026 Climate Equity Fund application cycle have concluded. However, we have published a recording of the informational webinar in English and in Spanish online. There are also virtual office hours scheduled throughout August.

Community Roots Grants are all or nothing, though budgets for awarded projects may be revised slightly with the grants team prior to contracting. Community Reach Grants may be considered for partial funding at the discretion of the evaluation committee.

Feedback sessions for last year’s applicants have ended. However, we are happy to support all applicants going forward by connecting you to resources available for this year’s funding round.

The Climate Equity Fund has changed since last year based on feedback from applicants, including applications! To really get a sense of what we are looking for this year, we highly recommend reviewing the rubric and other application materials available in the applicant guide.

Additionally, on the website we have published screening questions that can help a project determine if the Climate Equity Fund is a good fit for them. Projects that answer yes to all of these questions tend to be a better fit for the fund compared to projects that answer no.

Multi-year funding is currently not available. Program funding depends on annual budget allocations, so multi-year commitments cannot be guaranteed.

Applicants may lead only one application per cycle (either one Community Roots or one Community Reach application–not one of each). However, an applicant may serve as a partner on multiple applications.

The Application and Eligibility Information page has more resources that may be helpful, including the Applicant Support Guide, which includes an FAQ section.

The primary community of benefit of a Climate Equity Fund project should rest within Boulder County. To be considered a part of the Boulder County community, a person should live or work in Boulder County.

The maximum is 15% but the ideal is 10% or less. Learn more about allowable costs in the allowable costs chart.

Universities cannot be a lead applicant on a project, but can serve as a project partner. Project partners are able to receive funds.

The lead applicant should be the primary organizer and administrator of the project. They should comply with our eligibility requirements, which include being based in Boulder County.

Projects with fiscal sponsors can vary depending on scope and need. We recommend reaching out to our inbox climatequityfund@jsi.org with your particular situation and our team is happy to provide support.

Yes, these projects are eligible so long as they meet the other eligibility requirements for the grant.

Yes, if the applicant is fiscally sponsored.

Lead applicants will manage subawards to their partner organizations/individuals and contractors for their contributions to the project scope of work. Re-granting and re-distribution of grant funds as rebates is not an allowable cost for this year’s Climate Equity Fund. However, if this type of program is in high demand, we may explore offering this option in future years. For more information, please reference the Allowable Costs Chart.

Eligible projects must take place anywhere within the boundaries of Boulder County. We welcome applications from the incorporated cities and towns, as well as unincorporated areas of the county.

Applications are evaluated by a combination of Community Evaluation Committee (CEC) members, Boulder County staff, and staff of our administrative contractor, JSI. The CEC consists of 10 community members who were selected through a competitive application process in spring of 2026.

Applications for Community Roots Grants ($20,000-100,000) will be evaluated by a committee of voters, including representatives from all three groups above. Applicants selected to advance to the next phase will be interviewed by a panel consisting of representatives from each of the groups above.

Applications for Community Reach Grants ($100,000-$400,000) will be evaluated and scored by at least three individuals from the above groups. The CEF aims for at least two of these individuals to be CEC members, but the ultimate ratio will depend on the number of applications we receive. Where possible, applications will be matched with at least one reviewer who specializes in the subject matter area of the project application.

CEC members, and the organizations that they participate in, can apply for a CEF grant in the category for which the CEC member did not provide design input and is not reviewing. For example, an organization led by a CEC member who co-designed/is reviewing Community Roots Grants can apply for a Community Reach Grant, and vice versa.

Yes, demonstrated capacity is on the rubric for Community Reach Grants. Demonstrated capacity can look very different from project to project and organization to organization. In the past, we’ve seen successful applicants demonstrate capacity to successfully handle the scale of funding they are asking for as well as demonstrate a proven track record of executing similar work, either as an organization or by highlighting specific staff and partners.

Look to the screening questions for guidance on community centering. In particular, it is important that projects are designed collaboratively with the community it aims to serve. Successful applications in previous rounds used several tools to demonstrate community support, including surveys, letters of support, and demonstrated efforts to gain adequate community support for their projects.

Both are eligible. Sometimes a feasibility study is a helpful baseline to make decisions about where investment will have the greatest impact. In the past, Boulder County used to offer rebates for feasibility studies but paused them when there wasn’t adequate follow up. Successful applications will demonstrate how a feasibility study will lead to implementation and how the feasibility study results in community benefit.

We are focused on the best outcome for the community and the organization. No preference based on technology. Data that demonstrates the impact will be very helpful.

Funding allocation across organizations will be considered for final grant recommendations so that the program can maximize reach. We understand that a lead applicant may choose to partner, and request CEF funding as a partner, on multiple applications across tiers.

The Climate Equity Fund encourages partnerships, especially for Tier 2 Community Reach Grants. All Tier 2 partners who are to receive CEF funds must submit a letter of commitment, see the Applicant Support Guide for more information on that, as well as a template for the letter.

Fiscal sponsors are considered a partner applicant and can therefore support multiple applications.

No.

It depends. The application weighs partnerships because we recognize that successful applications will require lots of varied competencies. Successful applicants will demonstrate what each partner brings to the project and how strong they are linked together.

One of the goals of the Climate Equity Fund is to reach groups not traditionally served by grants, such as communities without formal organizational representation. However, that is not a requirement, so long as a proposed project meets the other requirements of the Climate Equity Fund (read more about project requirements on the Boulder County website.)

Last year, we did find that proposals developed with partners, and who demonstrated the collaboration with partners and the target community in project development, tended to have higher scores than groups who applied alone.

Yes. Mountain communities are considered a frontline community in the context of climate change due to proximity to climate impacts like wildfire and due to isolation from urban infrastructure.

Projects focused on climate mitigation (drawing down carbon and reducing climate pollution) or adaptation/resilience (preparing our community for the impacts of a changing climate) are both eligible areas of work for the CEF, with wildfire resilience falling into the latter. Last year, one project focused on wildfire resilience was awarded a grant.

The Climate Equity Fund is really looking for projects that serve a demonstrated community need and that are co-developed with the community they would serve. Projects that scored the most highly in past years aligned closely with our project requirements and were able to demonstrate capacity for administration and sustained project impacts beyond the timeframe of the grant. We recommend reading through the scoring criteria available in the applicant guide for additional details.

The answer to this question depends on the energy demand you are looking to cover. Typically, solar panels do not cover the full energy demand of a building, but instead decrease energy bills by a certain amount proportionate to the energy produced. Taking a look at the utility bills for a space to determine typical energy use is a good place to start.

In developing a project, it may be beneficial to consult a professional in the field and receive a quote. EnergySmart offers lists of contractors working in Boulder County that may be a good place to start.

Government entities are not a permitted lead applicant nor should the government be the primary beneficiary of a Climate Equity Fund project (see eligibility requirements). However, depending on collaborations and partnerships, it is possible that a project could take place on public land.

Yes! This is an allowable project area. For more information on project areas, please take a look at our applicant guide.

Boulder County encourages applicants to apply for the work their community needs, and demonstrate how you know that that need exists. Projects with smaller budgets will not receive an inherent advantage over larger ones. However, please note that an organization may only serve as the lead applicant on one project (either Community Roots or Community Reach).

Both tiers of grants, Community Roots and Community Reach, allow flexibility with budget and scope throughout the review and award process.

Community Roots finalists will have a chance to co-develop their budgets alongside our grants team, where we can hone in on the value and reasonableness of certain costs over others.

Community Reach applicants may be offered to receive partial funding at the discretion of the grant evaluation committee. If there are parts of your project that are more important than others, it may be beneficial to highlight that difference in your application.

There are some other programs in the county working on wildfires. Boulder County runs Wildfire Partners, which works with residents in both wildland and urban areas to minimize wildfire risk for community members. We also have an Emergency Services grant open now that specifically targets resources needed for first responders like firefighters. However, both of these programs are available across populations, rather than targeting specific underserved groups. There are also several NGOs and businesses working on similar efforts.

However, one of the goals of the CEF is to address resource gaps currently being felt by our most impacted communities, and to trust communities when they share those gaps. If, in your research of available programs and in conversations with communities, you find there is a gap being experienced by a certain population, especially frontline or disproportionately impacted communities, there is space to share about that gap in your application.